January 2008 Sightings
Home Button
News & Events
RecentSightings
Archived Sightings
Birding Sites
Reports
Photo Gallery
Links
Contact Us
December 2007 <<<   Back to Archive >>> February 2008


January 2008

(for previous months, see the Archived Sightings page)
31st January 2008
Gibraltar		 Five Greater Scaup present, in the channel along the sea wall - the state of the tide meant the channel was fairly full. Due to the depth of the water they were feeding like dabbling ducks, i.e. they were not upending but just putting their heads and necks underwater. (S. Feeney).
31st January 2008
Sligo Harbour		 A total of five Iceland Gulls were seen in the Sligo Harbour area today - a very pale bird was at the causeway on the Rosses Point Road, the very dark bird was at the Cartron Sewage outfall, and two cream-coloured individuals were at Gibraltar point (S. Feeney).  A second-winter Iceland Gull was at Connacht Gold - see photo of this bird on the Home Page (D. Skehan).  On reviewing some photos, it seems likely that this second-winter bird was also present on the 29th at Quay Street (M. Casey).
Images © Séamus Feeney &  Mícheál Casey 2007
It is interesting to do a side-by-side comparison of the male Ring-necked Duck currently on Lough Arrow (left) with the male Tufted Duck x Ring-necked Duck hybrid (right) which was seen at Glencar Lough last November (and has since moved to Lough Colgagh).

See labelled images here.
30th January 2008
Ballymote area		 A good number of Whooper Swans was in a field along the Ballymote-Castlebaldwin Rd (82 counted but there may have been more as they were not all visible from the road).  Another large flock, maybe close to 100, has been seen in the last couple of weeks in a field between Ballymote and Gurteen (Michael Bell).
Ring-necked Duck
Ring-necked Duck Ring-necked Duck
Images © Séamus Feeney 2007
30th January 2008:  This male Ring-necked Duck is still with the flock of Tufted Ducks on Lough Arrow and has been consistently seen in the same area in an inlet to the north of the causeway/bridge joining Muck Island to the north-eastern shore of Lough Arrow.

Further images of this bird are here.

Click on images above to see larger versions.
30th January 2008
Lough Arrow		 The immature male Lesser Scaup was in Rinnbaun Bay with the Tufted Ducks, but was quite distant from the usual viewing point at the water treatment station, along reeds at the far shore.  The male Ring-necked Duck was in the same area in the bay by the causeway to Muck Island, on the north-eastern shore (near the stone bridge with the wooden railing).  There was no sign of the female Ring-necked Duck seen last week in Rinnbaun bay nor the second male Ring-necked Duck found at Ballinafad last Sunday.  Good numbers of Tufted Ducks, Coots and Little Grebes (S. Feeney).
29th January 2008
Lissadell		 The Pink-footed Goose was with part of the Barnacle flock at Lissadell (S. Feeney).
29th January 2008
Sligo Harbour		 Two Iceland Gulls (the dark and cream-coloured individuals) were at Cartron (S. Feeney) while the palest bird was at Quay Street car park (D. Skehan, M. Casey).
28th January 2008
Sligo Harbour		 Two Iceland Gulls - the palest and darkest of the three birds seen on Friday 25th, see below - were re-sighted at Quay Street car park (D. Skehan).
27th January 2008
Streedagh		 Two Long-tailed Ducks (P. Keogh).
27th January 2008
Lough Colgagh		 The Tufted x Ring-necked Duck hybrid is still present on Lough Colgagh, which is along the main Sligo-Dromahair Road, and its appearance makes an interesting comparison and contrast with the male Ring-necked Duck seen at Muck Island on Lough Arrow (P. Keogh).
27th January 2008
Lissadell		 One Richardson's Cackling Goose was seen with at least 2,000 Barnacle Geese (S. McAvoy, N. Hatch).
27th January 2008
Carraroe		 A male Common Buzzard flew over the N4 on the Sligo side of the Carraroe roundabout (D. Skehan).
27th January 2008
Lough Arrow		 The Lesser Scaup was re-sighted at Rinnbaun Bay (D. Skehan) and the male Ring-necked Duck was at Muck Island on the north-eastern shore - at the stone bridge with the wooden railing, on the way out to Muck Island (P. Keogh, D. Skehan).  One adult male Ring-necked Duck (presumably a second bird and Lough Arrow's fourth American duck this winter!), ca. 20 Pochard,  30-40 Tufties and at least 10 Little Grebes  were seen in the bay at Ballinafad village (S. McAvoy, N. Hatch).  

No ducks were present in Rinnbaun Bay later in the day, probably because of disturbance in the area caused by water skiers.
27th January 2008
Cartron		 The well-marked dark Iceland Gull was present for most of morning at the Cartron sewage outlet (D. Skehan, P. Keogh)
26th January 2008
Lissadell		 One Richardson's Cackling Goose and a Glaucous Gull were in the Goose field at Lissadell (per J. Coveney)
26th January 2008
Rinnbaun Bay,
Lough Arrow		 The immature male Lesser Scaup is showing well this morning (S. Geraty).
25th January 2008
Lough Arrow		 The adult male Ring-necked Duck was seen well from the north-eastern shore of Lough Arrow (D. Skehan)

Pale Iceland Gull
 Medium Iceland Gull Dark Iceland Gull
Images © (Declan Skehan (top image) and Mícheál Casey 2008
25th January 2008:  Three Iceland Gulls were loafing on the seaweed by the boat ramp at Quay Street at lunchtime today.  The birds were interesting in that there were (from left to right above) a very pale, a typical/medium and a very dark individual.  The dark bird also appeared to have dusky outer primary webs and dark primary feather tips.  

Update:  Declan Skehan's excellent flight shot of the darkest of the three birds, taken in brighter light (top photo) shows the coarse body markings, the dusky primary webs and the brown primary tip markings rather well.  The consensus is that this bird is at the dark and strongly marked end of the normal spectrum of Iceland Gulls, and is not a Kumlien's Gull.  Some birders have remarked that these very dark and coarsely marked Iceland Gulls have been seen more frequently this year at other sites such as Killybegs and Galway.

Further images of all three birds are here

Click on images above to see larger versions.
25th January 2008
Quay Street Car Park,
Sligo Town		 Three first-winter Iceland Gulls were in Sligo Harbour today at Quay Street car Park.  One of the birds was very dark and heavily marked with dark primary feather tips (M. Casey, S. Feeney, D. Skehan).
24th January 2008
Union Wood,
Collooney		 A Common Buzzard was soaring over Union Wood at lunchtime (N. Mugan).

Images © Séamus Feeney 2008
24th January 2008:  This male Ring-necked duck was found on the eastern shore of the lake, on the opposite shore to Rinnbaun Bay, bringing to three the number of American ducks on Lough Arrow at the moment

Click on images above to see larger versions.
Images © Séamus Feeney (top image) & Mícheál Casey (lower images) 2008
24th January 2008:  This female Ring-necked Duck was with the same Tufted Duck flock as the Lesser Scaup (see below) in Rinnbaun Bay on Lough Arrow.  The Ring-necked Duck is in the centre in the top image, on right of lower images - other birds are Tufted Ducks.  The reeds (which can be seen as faint blurred vertical lines) frustrated any attempt to get decent images.

Click on images above to see larger versions.
24th January 2008
Lough Arrow		 A Ring-necked Duck was found in the bay north-east of Muck island on the eastern shore at Grid Reference G125796 (S. Feeney).

The Lesser Scaup drake and the female Ring-necked Duck were still with the Tufted Duck flock at Rinnbaun Bay (S. Feeney, M. Crowley, M. Bell).  
Note:
The diving ducks in Rinnbaun Bay today were very actively feeding by diving for small dark mussels, probably Zebra mussels, which seem to cover every inch of every stone and rock in this part of the lake.  It is somewhat ironic that this recent arrival, an invasive Asian mollusc which is well established and widespread in the United States, is probably familiar fare for the American vagrants - see a discussion of the diet of diving ducks on the American Great Lakes here.  Because of the low flesh/high shell make-up of Zebra mussels, they yield relatively small amounts of nutrients, and so are consumed in large volumes.  The mussels are swallowed whole and crushed in the bird's grit-filled gizzard before being digested.  Tufted Ducks may consume more than 1.5 kg per day each in winter - incredibly this flock of 40+ birds could be clearing more than 50kg of Zebra mussels per day from Lough Arrow.  It will be interesting to see if wintering diving duck numbers on Lough Arrow increase given the wealth of this food resource on the lake.

Further reading:  
"Wintering Tufted Ducks Aythya fuligula Diving for Zebra Mussels Dreissena polymorpha Balance Feeding Costs within Narrow Margins of Their Energy Budget" by Joep J. de Leeuw, Mennobart R. van Eerden, G. Henk Visser;  Journal of Avian Biology,  Vol. 30,  No. 2 (Jun., 1999), pp. 182-192.  An abstract of this article is here.
23rd January 2008
Rinnbaun Bay,
Lough Arrow		 A first-winter Iceland Gull, which was much whiter than either of the two photographed on the 21st (see below) was at Quay St car Park, implying that there are still at least three Iceland Gulls in Sligo Harbour.  A well marked Iceland Gull was at the Cartron sewage outfall (M. Casey).
23rd January 2008
Rinnbaun Bay,
Lough Arrow		 A female Ring-necked Duck was found with the immature male Lesser Scaup; both birds were with the Tufted Duck flock in Rinnbaun Bay on Lough Arrow (S. Feeney).
LEITRIM NEWS The drake Blue-winged Teal is still at Cloonfinnan Lough near Mohill, Co. Leitrim (as of 19th January), and a 'record shot' of the bird is on the Leitrim sightings page and a location map for Cloonfinnan Lough is here.
21st January 2008
Quay St Car Park		 Two first-winter Iceland Gulls were on the roof of the riverfront apartment block (M. Casey)
2 Iceland Gulls
Image © Mícheál Casey 2008
21st January 2008:  Two first-winter Iceland Gulls photographed at Quay St Car Park this afternoon.

Click on image above to see larger version.
20th January 2008
Quay St Car Park
& Cartron		 Two first-winter Iceland Gulls seen at Quay St Car Park and at Cartron during the iWebs count, but given the timing of the sightings, the same birds may have been seen twice (M. Enright, R. Burnhams, J. McEvoy). One first-winter Iceland Gull was roosting on the Garravogue River just upstream of Hughes Bridge until almost nightfall, when it flew towards Cartron (M. Casey).
20th January 2008
Cummeen Strand		 One first-winter Iceland Gull seen during the iWebs count (H. Boland, K. Ryan).
20th January 2008
Cummeen Strand		 1500 Barnacle Geese were at Ballyconnell (D. Cotton). Together with the near-simultaneous Lissadell observation below, and a number of informal counts over the winter, there is every reason to believe that the Sligo Barnacle flock now exceeds 3,000 geese, a marvellous recovery from a low figure of 250 birds in the early 1970s.
20th January 2008
Lissadell		 1500 Barnacle Geese were counted in the Goose field during the iWebs count, joined later in the afternoon by 300 more.  Both  Richardson's Cackling Geese and the Pink-footed Goose were with the flock (M. Bell, D. Skehan).
20th January 2008
Drumcliff Bay		  At least three, and possibly four Little Egrets seen during the iWebs count (M. Bell, D. Skehan).  Together with the Ballysadare Bay observation below, there now appears to be at least five and possibly six Little Egrets in Sligo Bay.  

Note:  Our colleagues in BirdWatch Mayo observed eight Little Egrets at Killala on New Year's Day (RA Leak), but only four were located there when the area was re-checked this week (S. Meaney).  It is tempting to make a connection, but one way or another, it seems likely that we will soon have breeding Little Egrets in Sligo, if it hasn't already happened.
20th January 2008
Ross,
Killaraght
(ESE of Lough Gara)		 51 Whooper Swans at M757985 (M. Creegan).
20th January 2008
Lomcloon,
Monasteraden		 12 Whooper Swans at M655988 (M. Creegan).
20th January 2008
Tanrego/Streamstown		 Three Little Egrets seen during the iWebs count (T. Hunter, J. Fletcher, D. & M Willis)
Adult Mediterranean Gull
Image © Declan Skehan 2008
19th January 2008:  This atmospheric photo of an adult winter Mediterranean Gull was taken on Lough Gill, near the picnic area at Half-Moon Bay in Hazelwood.

Click on image above to see larger version.
19th January 2008
Lissadell		 One of the Richardson's Cackling Geese and the Pink-footed Goose was with the Barnacle flock in the Goose Field (P. Keogh)
19th January 2008
Cartron Marsh 		 One adult Mediterranean Gull was seen at the traditional high tide roost behind the bus-stop in Cartron.  This bird had some dark primary feather shafts and may not have been a full adult - in addition there was some yellowish staining of the abdominal feathers - oil?  (D. Skehan)
19th January 2008
Half Moon Bay
Hazelwood		 An adult Mediterranean Gull was with the Black-headed Gulls that frequent the shore beside the picnic area (D. Skehan)
Lesser Scaup, Tufted Duck
Image © Michael Davis 2008
19th January 2008:  This photo shows the immature male Lesser Scaup (left, with a male Tufted Duck on the right) at Rinnbaun Bay, Lough Arrow today.

Click on image above to see larger version.
19th January 2008
Raghly		 A Peregrine Falcon flushed waders at the head, did a circuit, and flew off towards Sligo (S. Feeney).
19th January 2008
Sligo Harbour		 At least two, possibly three, first-winter Iceland Gulls (S.Feeney).
19th January 2008
Rinnbaun Bay,
Lough Arrow		 Immature male Lesser Scaup still present with Tufted Ducks (M. Bell, S. Feeney, M. Davis, P. Keogh).  The bird was giving good views in the afternoon and the fine barring of the back and scapular feathers (vermiculation) was clearly seen (D. Cotton, N. Raftery)
19th January 2008
King's Gully,
King's Mountain		 Male Hen Harrier and 18 Snow Buntings seen in King's Gully and six Chough were seen at the top of the Benbulben Plateau.  The Hen Harrier came from the direction of Knocknarea while the Snow Bunting flock came from the direction of Glencar (N. Mugan).
18th January 2008
Rinnbaun Bay,
Lough Arrow		 A first-winter male Lesser Scaup was found at Rinnbaun Bay, Lough Arrrow today (S. Feeney).  This diving duck is a rare American vagrant.  This bird was glimpsed briefly at last light yesterday evening, and seen well enough today to confirm the identification.

Some mediocre 'record shots' of this bird are below, with further images here.

Directions to Rinnbaun Bay
(Grid Reference IG780100)
Take Dublin Road out of Castlebaldwin, turn left opposite Aghanagh Church of Ireland (i.e. turn left onto the old Dublin road), this junction is signposted for water treatment works, very short distance from main road take the first left to small pier on lake shore, beside water treatment works compound.  The Lesser Scaup was with the Tufted Duck flock, which was in the middle of the bay today, outside the reedbed to the right of the pier.
Images © Mícheál Casey 2008
19th January 2008:  These are record shots of the first-winter drake Lesser Scaup at Lough Arrow found on Rinnbaun Bay on Lough Arrow by Seamus Feeney on the 18th January 2008.  The Lesser Scaup is on its own in the left-hand column and with Tufted Ducks on the right.  Unfortunately distance and light were not ideal for photography today.  Any better images of this duck would be very welcome to clinch the record.
Further photos, all similar quality, are here.  
18th January 2008
Lislary,
Ballinfull		 A flock of 80-90 Eider were feeding actively offshore (D. McLoughlin).
Rock Pipit Iceland Gull
Grey heron Bar-Tailed Godwit
Images © Séamus Feeney 2008
16th January 2008:  A selection of birds photographed in Sligo Harbour this afternoon (clockwise from top left ): - Rock Pipit, Iceland Gull, Bar-Tailed Godwit and Grey Heron
16th January 2008
Main Channel,
Sligo Harbour		 1 Slavonian Grebe in the main channel in the harbour (N. Mugan).  First-winter Iceland Gull (S. Feeney) and 10 Goldeneye (N. Mugan) at Cartron.
16th January 2008
Drumcliff Bay		 12 Long-tailed Ducks (N. Mugan).
16th January 2008
Old Airport Road/
Dorrins Strand		 Little Egret seen near end of runway, flew towards Sligo along shore (M.Casey).
16th January 2008
Strandhill		 Male Surf Scoter still present with main Common Scoter flock, but a long way out today (M. Casey)
15th January 2008
Strandhill		 Both male and female Surf Scoters were at Strandhill this lunchtime along with a large Common Scoter flock. Also 3 Eider, 6 Great Northern Divers and 9 Red-throated Divers (P. Keogh).
15th January 2008
The Inishes,
Ballysadare Bay		 One Little Egret seen (N. Mugan).  An interesting record in view of the two seen in Drumcliff bay on Sunday 13th January.  It will be interesting to see how many Little Egrets turn up when the final iWebs census takes place on Sunday next (see above), as the aim is to count all three subdivisions of Sligo Bay simultaneously (Ballysadare Bay, Sligo Harbour, Drumcliff Bay).  Volunteers wanted, novices and experts welcomed!
15th January 2008
Cartron		 First winter Iceland Gull (N. Mugan).
15th January 2008
Doonieran,
Rathcormack		 A female Blackcap was seen in a rural garden on the edge of Drumcliff Bay (D. Gunn).
14th January 2008
Hazelwood,
Sligo		 The large Chaffinch flock was present again today - 200 Chaffinches, at least 2 Bramblings, also 2 Jays and a Red Squirrel (D. Cotton).
14th January 2008
Strandhill		 The male Surf Scoter was re-sighted, along with at least 150 Common Scoters.  Two Red-throated Divers and Great Northern Diver were also in the area.  Viewing conditions were terrible most of the day as the flock were actively diving in the breaking waves with a strong onshore wind (N. Mugan, P. Keogh).
14th January 2008
Sightings and photos  from 3rd/4th January    received from visiting UK birder		 Dan Brown, a fully paid-up member of the UK PunkBirder group (their website is here) visited Sligo on the 3rd/4th of January and fell victim to the only significant snowfall the area has seen for a year.  Dan kindly passed on details of the birds seen during his trip, as well as some very nice photos (see below).  Despite a minor injury to one of his group causing by a fall on packed snow, and a resulting visit to Sligo General's A&E Unit, Dan seems to have enjoyed the trip, and reckons that Iceland Gulls are best seen in blizzard conditions!
13th January 2008
Ross,
Killaraght
(ESE of Lough Gara)		 155 Whooper Swans and 50 Greenland White-fronted Geese were grazing on pasture at M757985 (M. Creegan)
13th January 2008
Finnod Point,
Carney		 Two Little Egrets were seen near the point (M. Keane).
13th January 2008
Strandhill		 Two Surf Scoters seen, one male and one female.  Large Common Scoter flock also present (P. Keogh).  
Pink-footed Goose with Barnacle flock
Image and video clip © Gerard Scott 2008
13th January 2008:  Image (bottom) and video clip (top) of Pink-footed Goose grazing with the Barnacle flock at Lissadell this afternoon.  The video works best on a fast internet connection.
13th January 2008
Inishcrone		 447 Light-bellied Brent were grazing in the field immediately west of the Diamond Coast Hotel, along the Ballina-Inishcrone coast road, including at least four ringed birds (M. Casey).
13th January 2008
Lissadell		 The Pink-footed Goose and approximately 30 Light-bellied Brent Geese were with 700-800 Barnacle Geese in the Goose Field at Lissadell in the afternoon (G. Scott).  A Dark-Bellied Brent was also seen at the site (P. Keogh).
13th January 2008
Gibraltar Point,
Cummeen Strand		 Six Greater Scaup were actively diving along the Sea Road near Gibraltar Point (G. Scott).
13th January 2008
Rathscanlon,
Tobercurry		 Several large mixed thrush flocks (20 - 100+) including Redwings, Fieldfares, Mistle Thrushes and Song Thrushes feeding on cattle pasture (M. Casey).
Some photos here (large files).
8th January 2008
Raghly/
Ardtermon Strand		 The Dark-bellied Brent was re-sighted with Light-bellied Brent on the strand, and there were up to 20 Grey Plovers on the shore of the peninsula as well as good numbers of Bar-tailed Godwits, Sanderling and Redshanks (S. Feeney).
8th January 2008
North Co. Sligo		 A post mortem examination on two Greenfinches found dead in a rural garden in north Co. Sligo confirmed that they had died of Trichomonosis (also called Trichomoniasis).  This disease has been observed in garden birds in the UK for the past 18 months or so, especially in Greenfinches, and the first cases in Ireland have appeared in the east and south of Ireland in the past couple of months.  Affected birds often appear lethargic and "fluffed up", and seem to die quite quickly after showing the first clinical signs.

Trichomonosis is transmitted by contact with the saliva of infected birds, and shared feeding areas, especially bird feeders have been implicated in disease transmission.  Feeding areas and utensils should be kept clean - see further information and control guidelines here.  Although the Trichomonas organism that causes the disease is not a threat to humans, garden birds may carry a range of other organisms (including Salmonella) so ensure good hygiene is observed when handling feeders or sick/dying birds.  Please seek veterinary advice from your local veterinary surgeon if you find a sick bird, and the Regional Veterinary Laboratory at Doonally, Sligo (071-9142191) will carry out post mortem examinations on wild birds from this region.
Fieldfare Redwing
Images © Mícheál Casey 2008
7th January 2008:  Winter thrushes feeding on the last of the winter berries near Tobercurry.  The Fieldfare (left) and Redwing (right) will shortly turn their attention to foraging for earthworms, grubs and leatherjackets in pasture as the last of this year's heavy crop of haws is almost exhausted.
7th January 2008
Quarryfield,
(near Tobercurry
on main Gurteen - Tubbercurry Road).		 A flock of 50 Whooper Swans (including seven juveniles) was grazing at pasture near the junction of the Bunnanadden Road.  A highly mobile mixed flock of Redwings and Fieldfares were feeding on the last of the haws in the hedgerows (M. Casey).
Dark-bellied Brent
Dark-bellied Brent Dark-bellied Brent
Images © Séamus Feeney 2008
7th January 2008:  Dark-bellied Brent photographed at Raghly.  This or a similar bird has been present in this area during the winter and last spring.  
7th January 2008
Ballyconnell		 The darker Richardson's Cackling Goose and the Pink-footed Goose were with the main Barnacle flock at Ballyconnell (S. Feeney).
7th January 2008
Ardtermon Castle		 The Dark-bellied Brent was re-sighted, in the flooded field to the left of the road, between Ardtermon Castle and the causeway (S. Feeney).
7th January 2008
Dorrins Strand		 A Little Egret was seen in the drain at the end of the airport runway and appeared to be injured (C. Foley).  A search of the area at 4pm showed no trace of the Egret, but a small party of six Twite was seen, feeding at the point where the drain meets the shore (M. Casey).
DONEGAL NEWS Two American Black Ducks and a Cattle Egret have been seen in north Donegal over the weekend - details on Donegal Sightings page.
Adult Ring-billed Gull
Iceland in snow.... Iceland Gull
Iceland Gull, Black-headed Gull
Images © Dan Brown 2008
4th January 2008:  An Iceland Gull photographed in its natural state, according to the photographer (bottom three photos) and an adult Ring-billed Gull (top) - photos taken at the Quay Street Slipway on the Garravogue River in Sligo Town.
4th January 2008
Quay St Slipway,
Sligo Town		 One first winter Iceland Gull and one adult Ring-billed Gull (D. Brown).
Spot the Canada
Images © Dan Brown 2008
Barnacle flock in flight near  the "Red Shed", behind the Yellow Strand.  The photographer reckons that one of the Richardson's Cackling Geese is in this photo, and says he will buy a pint in Hargadon's for whoever can spot it!
3rd January 2008
Lissadell		 20 Shoveler, 50 Wigeon, 15 Teal (D. Brown).
3rd January 2008
Ballintemple		 2,200 Barnacle Geese (accurate count), 2 Richardson's Cackling Geese (D. Brown).
3rd January 2008
Raghly Point		 60 Pale-Bellied Brent geese, 7 Black Guillemots (D. Brown).
3rd January 2008
Ballyconnell		 250 Barnacle Geese, 1 Whooper Swan (D. Brown).
3rd January 2008
Doorly Park,
Sligo Town		 A first-winter Iceland Gull was in the river (J. McEvoy).
3rd January 2008
Quay St Car Park		 Ring-billed Gull seen (J. McEvoy).
Ring-billed Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Image © Mícheál Casey 2007
2nd January 2008:  This adult Ring-billed Gull was photographed at Quay St Car Park.  Ring-billed Gulls are seen annually in Sligo (two present last winter, see 11th February 2007).  
2nd January 2008
Quay St Car Park
Sligo Harbour		 An American Ring-billed Gull was at Quay St Car Park today, almost certainly the same bird seen at this site in previous winters.  The yellow-legged Herring Gull found on the 31st December was briefly re-sighted.  A ringed Common Gull was also seen - the ring number (ET 47509) confirms that this individual has been wintering each year in Sligo harbour since at least 2003, and was ringed at Loch Tarff in the Scottish Highlands as a nestling in 2001 (M. Casey).
1st January 2008
Cummeen Strand		 A Little Egret was wading along the shore at the start of the crossing to Coney Island (L. Lynch,  F. Lynch).
1st January 2008
Ballyconnell		 One of the Richardson's Cackling Geese (paler bird) was seen at Ballyconnell today (P. Kelly).  Photos of the bird are on Paul's website here.
1st January 2008
Lough Colgagh		 The hybrid male Ring-necked Duck is still at Lough Colgagh (S. Feeney).